Using Post-Its for Reading Conference Records

I have used a variety of methods to keep track of independent reading conferences over the years.

One of my favorite methods came from Beth Newingham- she's amazing!

I love her use of labels on a clipboard so that she could jot down information quickly and for any child without a huge binder or flipping through a lot of pages- this frustrates me and I think intimidates students. I prefer a more laid-back, listening-in type of independent reading conference.

I used these labels for a while, but holy cow, they got expensive!

While thinking of a solution, I found inspiration from Kristen @ Ladybug's Teacher Files and her tutorial on post-it note printing.

Post-its + Conferring Information=
The numbers next to fluency & comprehension come from our standards-based report cards:
1= Unsatisfactory, 2= Partially Proficient, 3= Proficient, and 4= Advanced
This post-it can keep lots of helpful info on your students and costs way less than labels :) When printing, print this sheet out first. Then, place the post-it notes inside of the squares and send it through again, making sure the sticky side will go in the printer first.

I keep about five sheets ready at any given time- then, I just reuse these five sheets over and over. I try not to transfer the post-its too often, to keep their stickiness. The post-its I found best for this project were the Super Sticky kind:

Click to see these on Amazon.
Then, during my planning, I transfer the post-its over to the student's individual page in my Assessment Binder. Their page is just a piece of cardstock 3-hole punched, so I can collect a lot of post-its throughout the year. These notes give me great insight when it comes to reading groups, parent conferences, and future student conferences.

Would you like a copy of this template? Download it for FREE from Google Docs HERE :)

10 comments

  1. Oh my gosh Stephanie, this is pure brilliance!! I loved Beth's method too and this is such an affordable alternative! :) :) :)
    Thank you!!

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    1. You are so sweet, Kristen! Thank YOU for such a great tutorial :)

      ~Stephanie

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  2. I use Beth's method too and it works wonderfully! No more lugging around my huge RW binder! Luckily, I have access to very cheap labels. I highly recommend doing this too!

    Sara :)
    Smiling In Second Grade

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    1. Thanks, Sara! I want your cheap label connection ;) I seem to go through tons every year!

      Thanks so much for stopping by :)

      ~Stephanie

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  3. Stephanie,
    I love this! Thanks for sharing!
    Teresa
    Confessions of a Teaching Junkie

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  4. Fantastic idea! I love labels for taking anedotal records, particularly for behaviour or concerns and sticking them to card stock. Admitted label freak right here! Last year when it came to placing 150 students into classes for the next year, moving kids that can't be with one another or with teachers they had the previous year, we used the Super Sticky post-it notes as well, except that the school purchased custom stamps to stamp a template onto the notes. The Super Sticky notes held up really well moving from paper to paper to paper.

    But I want to ask you - did you ever lose any of the sticky notes, once you had them filed away on the student's assessment papers? Or did they stick well enough to last throughout?

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  5. WOAH! I'm so glad I found your blog (I'm a new follower), I LOVE LOVE LOVE this freebie for printing on stickie notes. What a fabulous idea. Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to use it next year :)

    Katie
    Dirty Hands and Lesson Plans

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  6. DUH! I have a huge obsession with sticky notes and didn't even THINK about them being transferred over to become assessment tools! I've used the labels from Newingham, but am currently out of supply! This will be a very easy and affordable way to continue to use them! Seriously.... DUH! I cannot get over the genius of it! Thank goodness for blogs and amazing teachers out there! :)

    Amanda
    Ms. Wilkie's Second Grade Class

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